


Damaged and Broken

by ExhaustedCommonSense



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Infidelity, Rare Pairings, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-27 01:44:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17757419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExhaustedCommonSense/pseuds/ExhaustedCommonSense
Summary: Under everything they're both just broken. A broken girl and a broken boy.





	Damaged and Broken

They're both damaged.

The stares they get when stepping out of the door might stop with time but it doesn't change the fact that people will only ever see the scars now…never the person underneath.

Before ( _because that's how she thinks of her life now: Before the scars and After)_  she thought of nothing except how to make herself prettier, how to find the perfect man so that she could be that too.  _Perfect_.

But she can never be perfect now. She can put up spells and wear an enchanted mask but it wouldn't be  _her_. She won't let childish dreams force her into hiding her new face. She's scarred ( _everyone is, only her scars are visible_ ) but she'll show them with pride.

She always wanted attention, now she has it. She only wishes it could have been for some other reason. Because deep down, under the pride that holds her head high and shows her scars to the world, is a  _broken_ girl who just feels alone.

He was always stared at, even Before. He never thought of hiding the scars ( _why should he have to hide a part of himself?)_  and he never really thought about them. His brother was covered in burn scars and no one batted an eye-lid.

He noticed the new stares ( _of course he does; how could he not?_ ). He saw how people looked at the scars but never at him. They talked to him normally but he could see the fear in their eyes. Those who didn't know how he'd gotten them were scared to find out and those who knew were scared of what he could become.

His wife stood by him ( _he will admit that he didn't expect her to_ ) and so did his family.  _They_  didn't care. He thought he should perhaps feel guilty for wishing they would just leave him. His wife loved him but she was flawless; utterly perfect. And that just made him feel more  _broken_.

They meet by accident in a place where neither of them should be  _("A pub in Knockturn Alley is no place for a beautiful woman" "That's okay; I'm not so beautiful anymore")._  They were both looking for an escape. Him from his  _perfect_  life and her from a life that was falling apart at the seams.

They don't regret anything the next morning but they both know they should. It becomes habit even though they know better. Weeks turn into months that turn into years. He's a father now ( _his perfect wife and perfect children_ ) and she's engaged but they don't stop.

They can see past each other's scars and past even the masks that no one else knew were there. They can see what lies deep inside and it's that that keeps bringing them back together like two magnets being irresistibly attracted.

After all, under everything ( _especially the scars_ ) they're both just broken. A broken girl and a broken boy. They don't make each other whole ( _nothing stupid and romantic like that_ ) but they can make each other  _forget_. And that's good enough for them.


End file.
